How to Calculate Dimensional Weight

Dimensional Weight has driven up the cost of shipping on many items, but few people know the exact way to calculate Dimensional Weight. This calculation doesn’t have to remain a mystery, there is a specific formula used to calculate DIM Weight.

To Calculate Dimensional Weight:

Find the cubic volume of your package. As a refresher from geometry class, this is found by multiplying the length (L), times the width (W), times the height (H) in inches.

Round up to the nearest whole inch, as this is how the freight carriers measure.

Use the correct divisor. If the total of cubic inches of your package is greater than 1,728, you’ll divide the total by 139. If your cubic inches total is less than 1,728, you’ll divide by 166.

Ex: I’m shipping a large tote bag to my friend for her birthday. The box is 25”(L) x 10”(W) x 10”(H). The total cubic inches equal 2,500, so I’ll divide by 139. This gives me a dimensional weight of 18 lbs.! Shipping this tote bag from North Carolina to California is going to be pretty expensive!

If your business is shipping only a few packages per day, we suggest you bookmark our DIM Weight Calculator to make calculating easy.

What if I’m shipping more than a few packages a day?

If your business has a higher volume of packages going out the door things can be a bit more complicated. This is where we’d suggest a more automated solution! Automatic cubing and weighing systems collect your package information (weight and dimensions) quickly and accurately, then automatically calculate dimensional weight and transfer that data to your data processing systems where it can be used immediately to generate a shipping label.

In-motion systems are designed to automatically measure and weigh packages accurately in-line at operating speeds up to 230 feet per minute! The Cubican 200-TS gives you the power to quickly measure and weight your parcels on the fly, allowing you to keep up with your throughput requirements.
To see these in-line systems in action, visit our Dimensioning Page and watch the videos!

Whatever your volume, it’s important to accurately calculate your DIM Weight costs before the package goes out the door. We always suggest finding the right-sized shipping container for your products to reduce the impact of dimensional weight shipping charges.